My friend ‘Jesse Crow’

Friendship is something that God has established as part of human existence. 

We sometimes do not choose our friends but it happens accidentally. Some friendships begin on a bus, a train, a plane, in school among others.A cousin of mine got a friend who became a link to a better life on a plane to Libya in 1989.

My friendship with Ofosu Appiah aka. Jesse Crow, however happened on SUTESCO Campus at Suhum, in the Eastern region. SUTESCO as I knew it back then in the mid-1980s, could be considered as the repository of Ghana’s independence. Once you gain admission into Form 1, you are sure to complete Form 5 barring death or illness. It is an atmosphere of freedom where you can choose to study deep into the night in the classroom without hindrance. 

Therefore those who were serious with their books usually passed well in the General Certificate Examination for both the Ordinary and Advanced levels. Those who chose to just pass through the school without bordering about their grades and final examinations as you can imagine, also flopped badly. 

It was a land of the extremes. The reason for talking about my friend Jesse Crow is the motivation of ‘heaven’ his memory gives me any time his name comes to mind. 

His memory motivates me to be a better Christian and strive to abide in the grace of God so I could make it to heaven one day. 

Motivation is a very important positive force which drives people to achieve a lot of things in their lives.  Things that motivate people vary from money, love, happiness among others. 

Some people have become regular members of a particular church now because they were first attracted by their songs, or the neatness of their washrooms or the friendliness of the ushers. 

Motivation can also be the fear of a negative consequence like being a law abiding citizen for fear of being in prison. The funny way memory of Jesse Crow motivates me is the fact that, having led a church boy’s life, it would be a travesty of justice if I do not walk in obedience to God’s word as a Christian and end up in hell  and Jesse Crow ends up in heaven, in the hereafter.

This is because of the things Jesse Crow had been involved in before he became converted and if the bad things I had done were to be compared to that of my friend Jesse Crow, I would be considered an Angel.  Jesse Crow’s conversion was one of the greatest miracles of God on SUTESCO Campus between 1984 1nd 1985. 

I recall the shock on the face of our then House Master, Mr. Amo when he realised that Jesse Crow was converted. 

He was so excited that he promised his full support for the Scripture Union group in the school.   A funny story is told of a day when his father came to the school to pay him a visit and for quite a while he could not find his son Ofosu Appiah. 

Apart from his classmates, who knew his real name, most students only knew him as Jesse Crow, so there was Daddy looking for his son Ofosu Appiah who nobody knew until a classmate came along and the chap asked him if he knew one Ofosu Appiah and he said “Oh, it’s Jesse Crow”. 

His father was surprised that his son’s name has changed from Ofosu Appiah to something else. That is what a school environment can do to young people who come from areas like Tema and Accra.

I am looking forward to the day that I would see him face-to-face and shout out his name “Jesse Crow” and the expected response “O rai, Body” i.e. Albright Buddy in that deep voice of His. That day would be a joyous moment. The last time I heard of him was when I was told that he had become a drummer in one of the Charismatic churches in Tema.  Again I later heard that he had travelled to Canada.  It is my prayer that both of us will continue to abide in the grace of God so we shall end up in heaven one day.